Eyewitnesses describe an inferno: an Airbus A350 and a Japanese Coast Guard plane collided at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Five people died in the smaller plane.
Hundreds of firefighters worked throughout the day to extinguish the burning plane on the tarmac at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. As could be seen on Japanese television, huge clouds of smoke rose from the apparently largely extinguished plane wreckage that evening.
Shortly after landing, the Airbus A350 passenger plane apparently collided with a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft that was standing on the tarmac. Eyewitnesses reported on television that there was a bang and a huge fireball as the Japan Airlines plane skidded down the runway.
Sparks came from the engine, the plane stopped there and burned ablaze, the entire runway was transformed into a sea of flames.
Five fatalities
According to official information, there were 379 people on board the passenger plane, including twelve crew members. Apparently they were all able to be brought to safety in time via emergency slides. The ill-fated plane was on a domestic flight and came from Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido.
The Coast Guard’s Bombardier Dash-8 light aircraft was scheduled to fly to Niigata on Japan’s west coast to deliver relief supplies to the earthquake-hit region. The pilot was able to save himself and five other crew members were rescued dead, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced in a press conference that evening.
Cause of accident still unclear
How the accident could have happened is still unclear. Kishida said he had instructed all relevant authorities to investigate the incident and determine the cause of the accident. “These people worked with a strong sense of mission and responsibility for the areas and victims affected by the earthquake disaster. This is a very unfortunate incident and I would like to express my respect and gratitude for their work and express my sincere condolences,” said Kishida.
Bernd Musch-Borowska, ARD Tokyo, tagesschau, January 2nd, 2024 3:25 p.m